On recommendation from the Custer State Park Visitor Center staff, I headed down the Wildlife Loop Road to see if I could catch the activities from the annual “buffalo round-up”. I will share more on the Wildlife Loop in the next update, for now just imagine that we have already driven 1/3 of the loop and found the spot where all the action is.
As I cautiously approached the gated yards, I had some time stopped in traffic to observe the majestic creatures that stood often only 10-20 feet off the road (and sometimes closer). Photos absolutely do not do justice to their size. Even some of the small ones could probably flip my truck over like a tin can; the large ones I can’t even imagine what they wouldn’t be able to take on. According to the brochures, bison are the largest native terrestrial mammal of North America.
Making my way through this natural traffic jam is a bit nerve-wracking. Always remember you are in their home and give the bison a wide berth to not cause a panic. Don’t freak out if they approach, just stop and let them investigate before they move on.
If you can’t figure out where you are at based on all the fence rails and free-roaming bison, there’s an entrance sign to help find your bearings.
Approaching the Bison Center there is a large barn with round bales for feed, and then a large pen where they hold the large herd before sorting. On another sign (not pictured here) I believe these were called the Fred Matthews Buffalo Corrals.
From that large pen, smaller groups are brought in and sorted through these alleys. Sometimes the ranch hands need to give them guidance into the alleys using flags on long poles and sometimes electric prods. I did get to watch a monster bull try to jump back over the rails and almost took a couple of hands with them.
Once sorted through the alleys they are put into a head lock where a team performs various tasks like ear tagging, drawing blood, and giving vaccinations (or at least to a novice like me that’s what it looks like).
Once out of the head lock, the bison are then sorted into various pens by another group of hands who open and close gates to further sort them out.
Here’s one of the largest bulls I observed during my time there – he had just plowed into a round hay bales and was jumping around happily like a big terrifying woolly puppy dog.
Just across the road from the corrals is the Bison Center which houses an educational visitor center, gift shops, and restrooms.
Here’s a brief look into the main educational area which contains numerous large educational and informational displays and signs for all things related to the bison. More to come at Custer State Park in the next post!
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